The winners of the British Wildlife Photography awards 2012 have been announced.

The competition has captured the imagination of thousands of photographers, who collectively have created a stunning and innovative series of images which showcase British wildlife at its best.

With twelve separate categories covering everything from marine life and animal behaviour to creepy crawlies and urban wildlife; the awards beautifully reveal the unseen splendour and surprising diversity of Britain’s wildlife. There are also two special junior categories to encourage young people to connect with nature through photography.

The winning image was captured on a remote location off the North coast of Scotland. Dr Matt Doggett who took the winning image said “It was an incredible experience being in the water surrounded by these high speed divers”. Judge Greg Armfield from WWF described the photograph "A striking image that manages to capture in parallel the raw power and grace of the diving gannets. A beautiful and evocative shot."

The winners were:

British Wildlife Photographer - Dr Matt Doggett, for his image entitled: “Gannet Jacuzzi”. Young People’s Award WildPix / BWPA Under 12 - William Briggs, for his image of a chaffinch 12-18 - Ashley Butterworth, for his image of arctic terns.

The images are on display in various galleries up and down the country:Nature in Art ,Gloucester. 9th October – 25th November, 2012Nunnington Hall, Yorkshire. 3rd November – 16th December 2012Moors Valley Country Park, Dorset. 2nd February – 17th March, 2013Stockwood Discvery Centre, Museums Luton, Bedfordshire. 19th January - 30th March 2013.Penrhyn Castle, North Wales. April –May. Dates to be confirmed.Glencoe Visitor Centre, Scotland. Dates to be confimed.

For more information and to view the winning images, visit the BWPA website.